The first appearance of the spokespersons for the Podemos executive – the coordination council – after the electoral setback on May 28 has served their spokespersons to ensure that the patient has a heartbeat. “We are still standing,” says co-spokesperson Pablo Fernández. The balance that the purple leadership makes of what happened is that “We can continue to be the condition of possibility of a progressive government.”
Neither Fernández nor the co-spokesperson for the management, Isa Serra, offered conclusions about the poor performance of the purple formation, beyond exogenous reasons such as the size of their opponents: “We knew it was not easy”, “we have always been aware of what that we had in front of us, a very harsh reaction from the powers of our country”, “we knew that our courageous way of doing politics could have a harsh response”, “we have faced enormous adversities” were the expressions with which they summarized their loss of electoral support and institutional representation.
Fernández and Serra insisted that their objective continues to be unity and pointed out that an agreement with Sumar is urgent. In this regard, the co-spokespersons maintain that “every minute that the agreement is delayed is time that we lose for the pre-campaign and the campaign.”
Regarding the content of the negotiation, the leadership of Podemos wants to maintain discretion. It does point out, regarding the eventual passing of one of its current leaders such as Ione Belarra, Irene Montero or Pablo Echenique –as the IU coordinator, Alberto Garzón has done– that “personal vetoes do not help and are attempts to torpedo unit”.
Podemos, which has not brought together its highest body between congresses, the state citizen council, to evaluate the elections on May 28 or the negotiating strategy with Sumar, as several candidates have claimed, nevertheless assures that “all the territories are wanting and Desiring this agreement with Sumar, the entire organization agrees in the analysis that unity is essentialâ€.
Meanwhile, Sumar has announced the incorporation into the campaign team of Pablo Bustinduy, who was secretary of International Relations for Podemos until 2019, who had abandoned active politics shortly after the schism between Podemos and Más Madrid. “From Sumar we have aspired, since the beginning of this citizen movement, to integrate all the people who demonstrate from their professional field and civil society their intelligence and their commitment to the transformation of our country.”
Bustinduy announced his incorporation into the project led by Yolanda DÃaz on his social networks: “In these elections we decided what horizon to give to this world in crisis. The common good or the law of the strongest. Ecological and social justice or save yourself who can. It is a challenge of the time, which requires living up to it. Let’s go for it. An honor to join the task.”
